Gem Of The Ocean
Clipper ship, built in 1852 Life The Gem of The Ocean made just one run to California, taking 120 days. Wrecked in 1879 near Vancouver Canada. Description from a 1852 Newspaper This beautiful vessel, now loading for San Francisco, by Messrs. Timothy Davis & Co., at the South side of Central wharf, will register about 730 tons. She is 153 feet long, on deck, 33 wide, and 20½ deep, with lofty between decks. Her lines are rounded, but her ends are sharp, and beautifully formed, and she has 14 inches dead rise at half floor, 6 inches swell, and 1 foot 6 inches sheer. She is sheathed with yellow up to 17 feet forward, and to 18 aft; has a carved and gilded head, and ornamental carved work upon her stern, relieved with gilding. The rest of her hull outside is painted black, and inside she is buff color, relieved with white, and the waterways are blue. She has a topgallant forecastle, a large house amidships, for the accommodation of the crew, &c., and her cabin is under a half-poop deck, with a house in front. The house contains a state-room, for the officers, and a spacious ante-room, and descending from it is the cabin, which contains six spacious state-rooms, a pantry, and other apartments. The cabin is magnificently finished, with satin, rose, mahogany, and other fancy woods, edged and flowered with gilding, and the cornices are of paper maché. Every state-room has a patent side light, and over the cabin is a spacious skylight, and there are also circular lights in the stern. The transom is fitted as a sofa, and all the cabin furniture is of the first quality, most tastefully arranged. Her between-decks are nearly 8 feet high, and are beautifully painted, well lighted and ventilated, and admirably adapted for the accommodation of passengers, should it be deemed necessary to appropriate them for that purpose; but, we understand, she will only carry cabin passengers this voyage. She is built of oak, and copper fastened. Her keel is 16 by 20 inches; the floor timbers on it are 16 by 12, and she has two depths of keelsons 16 inches square, with a heavy rider over all. The ceiling on her floor is 4 inches thick, and over the floor heads the thick work is 14 inches square, graduated upwards ro 8 inches. The between-decks waterways are 16 inches square, with two thick strakes over them and one inside of them, and the ceiling above is nearly all 6 inches thick. Her bottom planking is 4 inches thick, the wales 5 by 7, the waist 4, and the planksheer and main rail are each 6 inches thick. The planking of both decks is 3½ inches thick, and throughout she is square fastened. All the knees, hooks and pointers in the hold are of oak; and the knees in the between decks are of hacmatack. She has 8 transoms, the main one of which is 17 inches square, bound to the sides by long knees. In a word, she is a very stronglu built ship of her size, and is finished and fitted out in superior style. Her mainmast is 74 feet long, the main yard 66 feet square, and the other spars in proportion, and she looks beautifully aloft. She was built by Messrs. Hayden & Cudworth, and is owned by William Lincoln, Esq., of this city, who is certainly entitled to great credit for the liberal style in which she has been fitted. Capt. Freeman Crosby, one of the best sailors that ever trod a deck, commands her. As she is advertised to sail on the 15th inst., we advise those who whish to avail themselves of an excellent conveyance for shipments to San Francisco, to inspect her soon. They will find her all that we have represented, and much more. Good luck to her.. Category:Clipper Ships Category:Wrecks